SUBURBAN REPORT.

Apartment plan gets early OK

CARPENTERSVILLE — An apartment complex proposed for the north side of Illinois Highway 68 east of the Bonnie Dundee Golf Club has received the support of village officials.

The Village Board has approved a preliminary plan for the 372-unit Sommerset Lake apartment complex.

The proposal by Brook-Ridge Development of East Dundee calls for 21 three-story buildings on 44.4 acres. There would be 180 one-bedroom units and 192 two-bedrooms, with monthly rents ranging from $995 to $1,600, company officials said. The proposal also calls for a 4,700-square-foot clubhouse and an outdoor swimming pool.

Two acres at the southwest corner of the complex would be donated to the Dundee Township Park District. The park would be near a 1.6-acre site reserved for future retail use.

Last month, the board delayed approval of the project despite a favorable recommendation from the Plan Commission. Among the eight changes sought in the plan, the board expressed concerns about the developer's request to have the streets privately owned and maintained. Trustees also said they feared that accommodating the children from the development would be a burden on Community Unit School District 300.

James Wozny, president of Brook-Ridge, estimated that only 12 to 14 percent of apartment occupants would have children.

"There is not a large impact on schools with rentals. These [tenants] would be young working families," said Wozny, citing a study that estimated about 40 school-age kids in the complex.